PHILADELPHIA − The question surprised Mike Trout, the Angels’ star centerfielder. But really, it shouldn’t have considering that Trout grew up in Millville, New Jersey as a diehard fan of the Philadelphia sports teams.
Trout has season tickets to Eagles games, sitting in the first row of the end zone. Unfortunately for Trout, he’s often present for the Eagles’ early-season games because his Los Angeles Angels haven’t made it to the postseason since 2014.
That was Trout’s third full season. Here he is now, in his 16th season, and once again, the Angels’ season will fall far short of the postseason.
So, wouldn’t Trout welcome a trade to a team near his hometown to a team that could use a right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup? Trout, it should be noted, is having a resurgent season after injuries derailed much of his past five seasons. The MLB trade deadline is Aug. 3, less than three weeks away.
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“I didn’t think I was going to hear this question today,” Trout said on July 13 during the All Star Game media day before the Home Run Derby. “I hear this a lot. I enjoy coming to Philly. I’m an Angel, obviously. I got a no-trade clause. So, it’s ultimately my decision. But like I said, I like Philly.”
Trout, who is among the American League leaders in home runs with 18, is not the only apple of Phillies‘ fans eyes. The Phillies could also address a right-handed outfield bat with the Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton.
Like Trout, Buxton has had an injury-filled past. But Buxton is also healthy this season and slugging home runs. He has 25 so far this season.
“I’ve been vocal about that,” Buxton said about not being willing to waive his no-trade clause. “So of course, (Minnesota) is where I want to spend my whole career.”
Taken together, Buxton’s refusal to waive his no-trade clause was much more emphatic than Trout’s. And for Trout, it’s delicate.
As much as Trout is a Phillies fan and could possibly want to play for a team that is on track to reach the postseason for the fifth straight season, he also knows that it would look bad if he were to force his way out of Anaheim, California.
After all, Trout, who turns 35 in August, has spent his entire career with the Angels. He has 4 ½ seasons remaining on a 12-year contract worth $426.5 million that runs through 2030, when he’ll be 39.
In other words, Trout is in the same age group as Phillies stars like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Buxton, who’s 32 years old, is also in that age group.
Trading for one of them could cost the Phillies one of their prized prospects. Think pitcher Gage Wood, who pitched July 12 in the Futures Game. Or perhaps one of their prospects either making their major-league debuts this year, or soon, in Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller.
That’s not prohibitive for the Phillies. But it further depletes a minor-league system that’s already depleted.
After all, the Phillies had to send down Painter after he pitched to a 7.06 ERA through the middle of June. And they don’t have an established No. 5 starter. Even their No. 4 starter, Aaron Nola, has a 5.75 ERA this season after posting a 6.03 ERA last season.
And you might have noticed that the Phillies could use a reliable left-handed reliever with lefties Jose Alvarado posting a 6.82 ERA and Tanner Banks on the injured list with a 7.14 ERA.
All of which comes back to Trout or Buxton for the outfield. Even if one of them was willing to waive his no-trade clause to come to Philadelphia, the Phillies might not be able to trade for them anyway.
So that leaves us here, with Trout batting leadoff in an All-Star game near his home town, with many of his family and friends from South Jersey in attendance.
Trout can also count some of the Phillies players as fans, and vice versa. Brandon Marsh, who’s starting in right field in the All Star game, came up with the Angels and remains a close friend of Trout’s even though the Phillies acquired Marsh at the trade deadline in 2022.
“I follow them, Trout said about the Phillies. “Obviously, with Marsh and Harper and (Schwarber), I do. Obviously, I got buddies back home and they’re always talking Phillies stuff … So (playing in the All Star Game) means a lot. Like I said, I grew up a Phillies fan, Eagles fan, Sixers fan. I know how passionate they are about their sports teams.”
So can Trout become one of them? He didn’t necessarily rule it out.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the “Eye On The Eagles” newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from De
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Mike Trout lives All Star dream as Phillies face tough trade questions
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